"When we started talking to people about it, engineers were saying it wouldn't work, the wheelchair would go into a spin, it was not designed to go through water," Austin told the BBC. "But I was sure it would."

"We've created something new and exciting and it's really getting people talking," Austin told the Daily Mail. "As a result, they're realising that viewing the world from a different perspective inspires them to be free to explore new experiences."

Austin is performing this weekend at the Osprey Leisure Centre in Weymouth, England.